Police: Man tells teen waiting for school bus to ‘get in the car’

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles police are reminding children to be aware of their surroundings and to not talk to strangers following a suspicious incident involving a girl waiting for the school bus, a department spokeswoman said Wednesday.

At 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, a man in a car approached a 13-year-old girl waiting for the school bus at Turnberry Road and Royal Queens Court, according to a St. Charles Police Department bulletin.

The intersection is near Kirk Road northeast of Wredling Middle School and St. Charles East High School. The man reportedly asked the girl what school she attended and told her to “get in the car.”

The girl refused, police said, but the man didn’t leave. Instead, police reported, he said, “It’s cold out so get in the car, and I’ll take you to school.”

The man drove away after another child at the bus stop said the school bus would be there in a minute, police reported.

The man was described as about 40 to 50 years old and white with short gray hair and a scruffy beard. He was driving a light colored tan or silver four-door car. A parent reported the incident, police spokeswoman Lisa Blackwell said.

She said anyone with information is encouraged to call the department at 630-377-4435 or the Anonymous Drug and Crime Tip Line at 866-378-4267.

Blackwell said police would want to speak with the man.

She said the incident serves as a reminder to children to be aware of their surroundings and to not talk to strangers. In a message notifying parents of the incident, St. Charles School District 303 offered similar advice.